Hamvention Announces Venue for 2017

XENIA, OHIO – The Greene County Agricultural Society Board of Directors in partnership with the Greene County Board of Commissioners, the City of Xenia and the Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce the Greene County Fair & Exposition Center will be the new home of the Dayton Hamvention®.

Since 1952 Hamvention has been sponsored by Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA). For many years it has been the world’s largest amateur radio gathering, attracting hams from throughout the globe. Over 25,000 amateur radio operators and their families will descend upon Greene County and the entire Miami Valley for three days of camaraderie, education and exhibits. In 2017, the Dayton Hamvention will be held May 19-21.

“We are so excited to be working with the Dayton Hamvention® to bring an event of this caliber to the Fairgrounds and Expo Center. The collaboration between the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, the Agricultural Society and the local governments has been inspiring. Spend time with this group of professionals and volunteers and their passion for running a first class event immediately becomes abundantly clear. I’m so proud of the way the entire community has come together and embraced this endeavor,” said Alan Anderson, President of the Greene County Board of Commissioners.

The annual economic impact of the Dayton Hamvention® has been estimated at $15 – $17 million dollars. Hotels, restaurants, gas stations, local merchants, and the Greene County Agricultural Society will all directly benefit from the event.

Ron Cramer, General Chairman of the Dayton Hamvention® had this to say about the event: “We appreciate and value all the time and effort of the many partners, in particular the Greene County Agricultural Society, the Greene County Board of Commissioners and the Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau has put into helping Hamvention find the right venue to continue our long history here in the Miami Valley. We look forward to a long and mutually prosperous relationship.”

Michael Kalter, Official Spokesperson and CFO of Hamvention states that “this event attracts attendees from all 50 states and 60 countries worldwide each year with an estimated attendance of approximately 25,000.”

“The Greene County Agricultural Society is absolutely committed to providing a world class experience for the Dayton Hamvention® and its attendees, exhibitors, volunteers and staff,” said President of the Greene County Agricultural Society Board of Directors Dan Bullen. “We are so appreciative of the opportunity to host the event and the faith placed in us by the Hamvention leadership. This will be an enormous event for the Fairgrounds & Expo Center and we are confident the Hamvention will be a great success in 2017 and beyond due to the way the community has whole heartedly embraced this event. The City of Xenia, Greene County Board of Commissioners and the Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau are incredible partners and we are very grateful for their assistance.”

The Greene County Fair and Expo Center located in Xenia, Ohio is a 501 non-profit, multi-purpose, 38 acre complex specially designed for fairs, concerts, meetings, convention/trade shows, sporting and livestock events.

“The City of Xenia is looking forward to the 2017 Dayton Hamvention® being held within the greater Xenia community. We will be working closely with all the planning partners as well as with business owners and residents to warmly receive the convention and conventioneers to our city,” said Brent Merriman, Xenia City Manager.

“The decision made by the Dayton Hamvention® Leadership to keep the event in the greater Miami Valley is a huge win-win for the entire region. We are extremely excited to work with the Greene County Expo Center, the Dayton Hamvention® team and all of their volunteers to guarantee the success of Hamvention in 2017 and for years to come. We fully expect this to be a five star event!” said Kathleen Wright, Executive Director of the Greene County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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D-Star Information

The Dayton gateway W8RTL^^B will be linked to D-Extra X-Reflector XRF038C during Hamvention weekend. D-Plus REF038C will also be available for the weekend on W8RTL^^C. Use 446.1000 Digital Code Squelch CSQL use #13 as a D-Star simplex frequency at Hamvention®.
DMR Coverage - Coverage is available from the W8AK repeater. See http://dmr-marc.net/repeaters.html for more information.